Fast/Junk Food And The Taiwanese

One thing that I have noticed over the last few months is that the Taiwanese do love their junk food. Whether it babies eating candy or adults eating KFC or McDonald’s, I see it everywhere.

One of the consequences of this, is that most of the children I see have terrible problems with their teeth. I have seen toddlers with so much lead in their mouths that it scared me.

It’s not normal for kids to have so many cavities. The only cavities I have are from when I was 10 years old and ate chocolate in secret. 20 years later, I still have the same 4 cavities. No more, no less. I brush my teeth often enough, sometimes 5 times a day, sometimes only 3.

After I eat any chocolate nowadays, I immediately brush my teeth. This started years ago, when I first started working in an office at the age of 20.

I have seen a kid who is missing 4 front teeth, and it’s not because he lost them. He is about 6, still has his milk teeth and has been missing them for over a year. My guess was that either they were rotten and had to be pulled out or something along those lines.

Some parents are strict with their kids when it comes to sweets. I know a few. Others just shower them with candies and cookies, anytime anywhere. The kids love it, because it makes them all hyper and they just love their sweets.

I have seen adults indulge so much in junk food that their faces are covered in zits, when months ago they were clear. I have seen a pretty young girl become almost a middle aged ugly woman. In the beginning, I would have said her age was about 19. Now, it looks more like 38.

That is not to say that it is the rule of thumb, but yes we do see a lot of bad teeth.

They have good dentists here. But there are some things that they can’t fix.